THE PROGRAM
Works by SALVATORE SCIARRINO:
Piano Trio No. 2 (1987)
Caprice no. 2 from Sei Capricci for solo violin
String Quartet No. 7 (1999)
Codex Purpureus (1983) String Trio
"Anamorfosi" (1980) for piano
Le ragioni delle conchiglie (1986) for piano quintet
Centauro marino (1984) for piano quintet
If, according to John Cage, absolute silence does not exist, perhaps its concept is partially answered by the category of space? Both silence and space are relative quantities, the scope of which is determined by the situation and context. True, it is important not to forget the dimension of time defined by biological, physical or even cosmic scales. Using space and time categories in the coordinate system, we can localize a point - the imaginary listener. However, the abstract point would remain stuck in the metaphysical spider web hanging between the two axes, if it were not for the efforts of the creators to pull us out of the vortex of everyday life. Such words could be used to describe the work of Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino (b. 1947), in which the ideal of silence merges into the harmony of space, time and acoustic perception. Although the composer's music is rarely heard in our country, he is one of the most performed Italian composers today.
Salvatore Sciarrino's work can be viewed in two ways. On the one hand, it is radical music that rethinks the conventions of performance, on the other hand, it is a kind of archeology or exegesis of the past, using traditional instruments and recognizable means of expression (for example, string instrument textures coming from the Romantic repertoire). By recontextualizing and transforming the ordinary, the composer creates an individual vocabulary that stands out in the repertoire of contemporary music. The composer describes the relationship between modernity and archaism in his work as follows: "The first one - the connection with classical music - is especially important for me as a teacher. Because when I teach, I can say that I preach classical music. However, as a composer, I go beyond it, and I would describe my desire to approach music not as archaic, but as primitive. It is a desire to experience the primordial essence of the instrument, I would say, even from an anthropological point of view. But at the same time, I realize that this is not entirely possible, because the instrument already exists as part of the tradition. Its very existence is conditioned by many elements of the tradition: works, composers."
